Wales has had a roaring cafe culture for years, and we’ve all heard the tales of late nights at the local Bracchi - the nickname given to Italian cafés in South Wales - after the dances, where revellers would enjoy a frothy coffee and maybe a steamed pie.

The Bracchi also introduced ice cream to Wales, as well as lined-up formica tables.

But, in recent decades, many of the traditional cafes closed down as chains took over the high street and the European Union stopped the cheeky rapid heating of meat pie (with the steam vent on the coffee machines).

For a while the likes of Starbucks and Costa dominated, but now – perhaps as a new generation decides it wants to support local businesses – independent coffee shops and cafés are on the up again.

Waterloo Tea Garden in Cardiff was recently named as one of the 50 best coffee shops in the UK, and despite being the leading light in artisan and speciality teas, they pride themselves on also serving fine coffee, made from beans sourced from across the globe and prepared by the best roasters around.

Kasim Ali, who opened the shop four years ago, is proud of the standard of his coffee and his refusal to cut corners.

He said: “If fellow coffee industry people visit Cardiff they know where to go for the best coffee, and there aren’t many places.

“It’s a shame because if I want to go out for a coffee myself I’m fairly limited.”

In 2009 the cafe won the Best Cafe in the UK title in the Beverage Standards Association awards.

Mr Ali, who is a qualified pharmacist, said: “It was nice to be recognised on a national level and being put in the same league as other great places.

“We hope this can act as a spark for a quality focused cafe scene in south Wales.”

The 36-year-old points to the recession as one reason for the upsurge in coffee shops and tea rooms, saying that people choose more affordable treats over spending big at a restaurant - and these venues need to live up to customers’ expectations if they are to remain a success.

He said: “With the recession, it was noticeable that people cut back on the big spends per head at restaurants.

“Also, since the demise of the pub as the preferred meeting place, cafes have a real opportunity to take over as the social spaces for people to get together.

“It is imperative that cafes live up to this expectation by offering great food and drink, at relatively affordable prices.”

In Carmarthen town centre, Zoe Aspinwall and William James’ coffee shop, Time Coffee Bar, has gone from strength to strength since opening 10 years ago.

“I think we were the first coffee shop in the town, and we started with just 50 covers and now we have 150.

“Up until a few years ago we still had a jar of Nescafe under the counter here, but I think now everyone likes the coffee that comes from the machine.

“The friendships that have built up here, and the children we see grow up - it’s a great community.”

And in Lampeter, the Conti family business has bucked the sad trend of Bracchis closing their doors, and is still doing a roaring trade.

In fact, the shop has just undergone a refit but still has the heart and soul provided by original owner Leno Conti, who opened it in 1933.

Jo Conti recently took over the last remaining Conti café and says customers are just as enamoured with their Italian coffee as they were in old days.

“We do a whole range of coffees now, even the affogatos,” she said.

“People have gone off the idea of going to pubs and getting drunk, they like to sit and chat over a coffee and a piece of cake.

“And customers are being more careful with their money. A treat of coffee and cake is nothing.”